Southorn in with a real shot

Fiona Southorn

Paralympian Fiona Southorn looks to defend her world championship bronze medal in Canada today, one year after winning New Zealand's first medal at the London Paralympics.

The evergreen three-time Paralympian competes in the 17.3km C5 time trial at the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships in Canada.

The 45-year-old from Waipu is in with real shot at a medal after securing bronze in the individual pursuit and placing fifth in the road time trial at the London Paralympics last year.

She backed up her fifth-place finish by repeating that performance at her most recent outing at the World Cup event in Matane last week.

Southorn is joined on the New Zealand team by her coach Jono Hailstone and former Dargaville resident Emma Foy.

Wellington-based Foy, who was introduced on to the programme only in February, has made a big impact on the international scene along with her sighted pilot Gabrielle Vermunt.

The pair will be pursuing a podium finish in the 25.9km B Time Trial for visually impaired cyclists. Foy has her work cut out as she comes up against teammates and London 2012 triple medallists Phillipa Gray and her pilot, Laura Fairweather.

The Invercargill-based pair landed gold and bronze medals on the track at last year's Paralympics and completed the full set by winning silver on the road in the B Time Trial.

Although rookies, Foy and Vermunt are not expected to be slugs in the event after New Zealand's hopes in the B time trial were further bolstered when Foy and Vermunt finished fourth - just 10 seconds behind Gray and Fairweather - in their build-up event last week in Matane.

Expectations will be high of a return to the podium for Gray and Fairweather in the same discipline today in Quebec after the talented duo tuned up for the World Championships with an encouraging silver medal performance earlier this month in the UCI Para-Cycling World Cup event in Matane, Canada.